MrsDrPoe: A Housewarming Gift

Spring is in the air, and to celebrate, my grandparents got us the perfect housewarming gift:

a home for our birdies!  I know just the tree I want to hang it on too!

MrsDrPoe: The Weary Travelers' Pit Stop in Atlanta

On their way home last week, Mama and Papa Wolgemuth, Mr. Wolgemuth, and Ms. Veit (my cousin) stopped by our place for a brief visit. We relaxed for a bit watching Monk:


After a nice dinner, we watched "the owl movie" and played a rousing game of Mad Gab. The guys beat the girls, but we were pretty close. The next morning, the Poe Barber Shop opened up because Papa Wolgemuth was getting a bit shaggy:


Mama Poe wanted to take Sascha home with her, so she tried to get a little sneaky while packing:


On their way out of town, we stopped for lunch at Fabiano's Pizzeria. The restaurant was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives for their Jamaican Jerk chili- I got some to try. It was pretty good, but I preferred the pizza:


We enjoyed the visit, and, although it was short, it was a lot of fun!

MrsDrPoe: The Wolgemuths

For this week's edition of Poes' Pals, I'm cheating again. Meet my grandparents...the Wolgemuths.

The Wolgemuths are amazing people. Grandpapa (or Dr.) Wolgemuth is a fantastic engineer and professor; he has a list of accolades as long as I am tall. I have a great deal of respect for my grandfather; he is my inspiration for my chosen degree and profession, and he has always been there to help me better understand any articles or subject matter if I have issues. Grandmama Wolgemuth is a wonderful wife and mother. She made clothes for her kids when they were young; she volunteers, knits, cooks, cleans, gardens, cans...and the list goes on and on. I have a so much respect for her as well; she is a great role model.

Just about every time I visit Grandpapa and Grandmama Wolgemuth I learn something new. Their current projects include the summer gardening and "grooming" their forest; when they have time, my grandfather turns wood while my grandmother creates beautiful watercolor masterpieces:


I am so happy that I have been able to be around and learn from the Wolgemuths, and I hope that I can be for my grandkids what they were to me and my siblings!

MrsDrPoe: Visit to Pennsylvania

Last week after my visit to Raleigh, I continued northward to the great state of Pennsylvania to see more family. It was the first time that Mama and Papa Wolgemuth, Mr. Wolgemuth, Mrs. Luke and I made the trip together in five years:


Our first stop in the state was a grocery store- Stauffers of Kissel Hill. As soon as we walked in the store, we saw Pellman's cheesecakes, which is a company started by some of our extended family. We picked up an Apple Bavarian Cheesecake (it was fabulous!) and a bag of Gibbles chips (Papa Wolgemuth's favorite brand):


During our trek, we got a flat. After Papa Wolgemuth and Mr. Wolgemuth put on the doughnut, we traveled to Mr. Tire to get new rear tires. The service and price were excellent, and we would highly recommend them:


After that hiccup, we visited the (approximate) former homes of two sets of my great grandparents:


We ended up at my aunt and uncle's house (Mr. T. Wolgemuth and Mrs. R. Wolgemuth). They fed us some fantastic subs, and we had some great conversation, which ended with plans to go to a small diner early the next morning based on a two-year-old tip that a cousin of theirs frequented the restaurant for breakfast. We didn't find the cousin, but we ate some tasty food:


Following breakfast, we bid the Wolgemuths farewell and headed to Grandmama and Grandpapa Wolgemuth's house. We have several traditional activities we partake in every time we visit. The first is a grand hike in the woods. This year we saw several trees that had been attacked by woodpeckers. We also passed by the shale pit, beautiful views, a field full of black eyed susans, and some apples growing in the orchard that Grandmama Wolgemuth makes apple sauce with:




Sometimes we get a little crazy when we get out in the fresh mountain air:


We also enjoy swinging in their South American hammock and playing ping pong:



We read Calvin and Hobbs and The Monster Stick, look at some Magic Eye puzzles, and listen to some CW McCall too:


We Wolgemuths like our food; therefore, it only makes sense that we have PA culinary traditions as well. While we were shopping with one of my aunts, Ms. Lowry, we stopped at Gardners' candy store in the Nittany Mall to pick up some of their famous peanut butter meltaways. We always stop by the Penn State creamery on campus for a cone, and we try to pick up a grilled sticky too:


This year we were only able to visit two of our cousins and their families, but it was a very enjoyable visit over dinner and basketball. One of my second cousins, Ms. Veit, is a pretty fantastic player:


At the end of our trip, Mrs. Luke and I flew home to our hubbys:


It was a great mini vacation, and I'm so glad that we were able to go!